Black Lightning Starts Filming In August

Though Black Lightningwon’t arrive until next year, filming will kick off later this summer in Atlanta. Over the past five years, the CW’s Arrowverse has grown from its flagship and namesake show to include four series of interweaving stories involving DC heroes and villains. While each will be returning this fall—and coming together for a new crossover at the end of the year—a new hero will soon be joining their ranks. Set to premiere in early 2018, Black Lightning will take a more adult approach to superheroes.

Though school and a focus on teenage life will factor into the series, part of the story will revolve around a retired hero reentering the vigilante life while navigating his duties as a parent. Thanks to a sizzle reel, we already have a taste of the plot and action—as well as plenty of shots of Black Lightning in action. With the show headed to Comic-Con in a few weeks, we’ll likely get even more insight into the show before it starts filming next month.

My Entertainment World is reporting that Black Lightning will begin production in Atlanta on August 14. Word of the Atlanta filming location was recently revealed, putting the show in the same company as series like The Walking Dead. The upcoming starting date, however, seems to further indicate the show will be arriving next January.

Despite the sizzle reel, word is that a pilot for Black Lightninghasn’t actually been shot. Instead, the reel sold the show to CW and will now go into production for the season next month. This will give the series more than enough time to finish a batch of episodes, though it’s still unknown how long the season will be.

With filming right around the corner, more plot and casting information will likely be on its way. We’ve already learned that the chief villain of the series will be Tobias Whale. In the comics, he’s the man behind the 100s, the gang that pulls Black Lightning out of retirement. There’s also a possibility that a live-action Static could arrive.

All told, Black Lightning looks to be a more mature and nuanced take on the superhero and vigilante lifestyle than the other Arrowverse series. It’s for that reason that when the show premieres, it will stand on its own. Of course, that was Supergirl‘s M.O. at first and things quickly changed. With shooting starting soon, we should know more about Black Lightning in the coming weeks.